


Those Who are Understanding

by BoxOnTheNile, Indigo_Scrub



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Collaboration, GFY, Gen, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-19 20:10:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9458630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoxOnTheNile/pseuds/BoxOnTheNile, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indigo_Scrub/pseuds/Indigo_Scrub
Summary: Lexi and Nile like Star Wars, sure, but maybe not this much.Or, in which Lexi needs a keeper and Nile is long suffering.





	1. Arrival, Part 1

Lexi sighed as her laptop booted up. She quickly started typing in her password, once more questioning why she had a password on a computer no one would ever steal. She stared at the screen until it went black. She growled in disgust, shutting her laptop and standing up. She started walking away when the floor vanished underneath her. She screamed, flailing until she landed on her back, hard. 

***  
I coughed and wheezed, the wind knocked out of her. I looked around once I finally caught my breath, and my jaw dropped. 

I was laying outside, in a desert of bright red sand, face to face with something that couldn't exist. 

“What the fuck?!” I shouted, stumbling back from the dead clone, feeling something akin to panic in my chest. I forced myself to breathe deeply. As soon as I calmed down, I looked around.

Around me, I could see a great many more dead clones, accompanied by a variety of demolished vehicles, and battle droids. I started to panic again, but tamped it down and grabbed the blaster rifle off of the dead trooper, as well as the tube of grenades from his belt, and the plate that held the communicator. “Oh fuck… okay… um… oh gods, where the fuck… how the fuck… I…” I continued to stammer on like that, until I finally calmed down a little. “Okay. Just… okay.” I said, panting. 

I looked around and saw a great deal of blaster fire in the distance, and decided to approach it. “Phase I armor… Jesus Christ… this has gotta be Geonosis…” I stared at the communicator, and back to the fallen clone, and grabbed the other forearm and both shin guards. They fit, only just, and I headed the fight, knowing I could find somebody to help me there.

I ran, happy to find myself actually in shape, as opposed to the way it normally felt to run. As I grew closer and closer to the growing battle, I closed my eyes and reminded myself that I'd be running towards an active warzone, one that could very easily kill me. I shook my head, and when I opened my eyes I tumbled down into a gully to be treated by 20 very curious looking clones, speaking to me in a language I didn't understand.

“Ni vaabir not jorhaa'ir Ika'dyc!” I shouted in Mando’a, which got their attention. 

“What do you mean, you don't speak Basic? Who are you?! Why are you wearing that armor?!” They yelled at me, also in Mando’a.

I dropped the rifle I was carrying when I suddenly had three pointed at me, and handcuffs were placed on my wrists. I sat in the troop bay of their AT-TE Walker as they started moving back to the staging ground. 

*

I heard them speaking in a language I couldn't understand, likely Basic, if my guess was right. They had taken all of the equipment I had scavenged, and the Walker was moving away from the battle. “Skraan?” I asked, hoping to at least get a ration bar or something. Unfortunately, that only garnered me a glare from the trooper who had his helmet off. The unmistakable rhythm of the walker moving stopped after about an hour of me sulking in the incredibly hot and cramped infantry space. I was unloaded, and marched in front of a Duros Jedi. I watched him talk to the helmetless trooper, before he walked up to me. 

“Hello, my name is Gaan Deid, I am a Jedi Knight. I hope you don’t mind if I ask a few questions?” He asked, in immaculate English.  
“Um… no, I guess… How do you speak English?” I asked, which earned me a chuckle. 

“It's called Coruscanti, dear child.” He pointed at my handcuffs and barked an order before they were swiftly removed, allowing me to stretch happily. “Now then, how did you come to arrive on Geonosis?” He asked. 

I shifted uncomfortably. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I can tell you that if this is the First battle of Geonosis, than Knight Kenobi and his Padawan are currently dueling Count Dooku, and losing.” I said plainly. 

The Duros stared at me for a moment. “What… are you?” He said, sounding afraid. He barked an order and the handcuffs were back on. When I opened my mouth to protest, the butt of a blaster rifle came down on my face, and the world fell to darkness.

***

Gaan Deid was very uncomfortable. He had never felt anything like that. That young humanoid had no presence in the Force, in fact they felt more like a vacuum then anything. 

His commander, CO-1882, was very concerned about this creature. “Sir, do I have a kill order?” He asked once Lexi was knocked unconscious. 

“No, Force! Do not kill it, just post an armed guard.” Gaan sat down into the lotus position and began to meditate in an attempt to clear his mind. _Whatever it is, it doesn't appear to have been here long. There's simply no way, not approaching from behind our lines._ He thought. “Commander?” he asked. 

“Yes sir?” The commander turned to look over. 

“What is the status of your battalion?” 

“Well, sir, we've been ordered back to the ship, sir. I was just about to tell you.” 

Gaan nodded. “See to it that the humanoid is put in a cell.” “Yes sir!” 

“An unacceptable amount of Separatist ships made it past the blockade.” Jedi Master Plo Koon said plainly as Gaan walked to the outskirts of the holocamera. 

“I agree. I'm afraid that this war will have to carry on, and we have a great deal to learn about warfare, if our losses tell us anything.” Mace Windu’s hologram said. Mace’s attention was drawn to Gaan. “You have a guest Plo. We can continue this later.” He said before his hologram vanished. 

Plo turned around to look at his former Padawan. “Gaan! To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked. 

Gaan sighed. “I wish it could be under better circumstances, Master Plo, but I'm afraid I have a concern that the Council may want to know about.” 

Plo managed to look intrigued despite his pressure mask. “Go on…” 

Gaan tensed up as he spoke. “On the planet, my forces discovered a humanoid.” 

Plo immediately folded his arms. “Please, Gaan, if it's important, tell me plainly.” 

Gaan tensed further. “Master, they… they don't exist in the force. We checked them when we came back to the ship and there's nothing mechanical about them, not even an ident chip anywhere.”


	2. Arrival, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Nile’s turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, it's boxonthenile, aka Nile, aka the other author and unofficial beta for this fic. Every even numbered chapter should be mine, and most update lulls will probably be my fault. Indigo has maybe one other fic besides this, but I have four, because what is self control. 
> 
> Anyway, here.

Nile’s shift was sudden- one moment stepping out of bed, the next standing barefoot on cold metal floor wearing an oversized t shirt and bright pink panties. She blinked at the wall in front of her- flat metallic grey, with no sign of the art prints from her regular con trips- and tipped straight into a panic attack. 

The next thing she knew, there was a blanket draped over her shoulders and a man look at her with concern.

The man said something in a language she didn't understand, and she moved automatically to ASL, knowing her voice wouldn't work so soon after a panic attack.

-DON'T UNDERSTAND. AGAIN?-

The man's brow furrowed. Well, it was a long shot anyway. He met her eyes and pointed at his ears.

That, Nile understood. She mimicked the gesture and nodded, then covered her mouth and shook her head. Anxiety was still tight in her stomach and fuzzy in her brain, but this man was the only way she was getting answers. 

Satisfied that she could hear him, at least, the man pointed to himself. “Kix.” He pointed at her and said firmly, “Shev’la.”

A name or an order? She didn't know what he was saying, or where she was! How was she supposed to get home?

The man started talking again in a soft, soothing voice, and Nile squashed her anxiety. There was time for that later. Right now, she needed her voice. 

Gods damn her neurodivergences.

Wait. Kix? 

It fit: the lighting bolts shaved in his hair, the tattoo, even the fucking armor. Field medic Kix of the 501st.

Nile tucked her head between her knees and forced herself to breathe, to stave off the second panic attack swelling in her chest. She pulled the blanket tight and stood, nodded at Kix. He smiled at her.

Now that she was up, Kix herded her out of the room- a storage closet?- and into the hall, stopping briefly to scoop his helmet off the floor. He chattered into the comm, and two more armored Troopers rounded the corner, tailed by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi themselves. 

Skywalker looked at her with narrowed eyes, and Nile instinctively ducked behind Kix. Apparently, her subconscious had latched onto him as ‘safe’.

Kenobi elbowed Skywalker and said something in a scolding tone before asking Kix something. Kix shrugged, replying. Nile risked shuffling aside to watch the Jedi’s faces.

This was surreal. She'd imagined being in this situation before, but never in a million years thought it would actually happen, and a language barrier had never factored into her daydreams. 

Kenobi caught her looking and smiled softly. He said a few words, pausing between each one, before, “Hello?”

Nile’s eyes widened, and Kenobi grinned in triumph.

“An old Coruscanti dialect, I see. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is Anakin Skywalker and Medic Kix. Kix says you can hear us, but not speak?”

Nile nodded and lightly smacked the heel of her hand against her temple, hoping it would get across that her head was scrambled. 

“Panic attack leading to a period of non verbosity?” Kenobi ventured, and Nile nodded again. Kenobi switched languages, probably telling the others what he learned, before speaking to her again. “Kix said he's calling you Shev’la. Is that alright until you find your voice again?” He waited for Nile’s agreement before continuing. “Would you mind wearing a translator so the others can speak with you?”

From there, Kenobi lead Nile and Kix through hallways until ushering them into a medbay. Another trooper was there- Rex, if she remembered correctly. He passed it to Kenobi, who gave it to Nile without a second thought. It looked like silver Bluetooth earpiece, and she tentatively hooked it over her ear.

“Can you understand me now, Shev’la?” Kix asked. Nile nodded. “Good. Gave me a scare. Not everyday you explore a base reclaimed from the clankers and find a half naked human in a storage closet.”

Nile flushed and checked that the blanket was wrapped securely around her. Of all the days she could have been thrown into an alternate universe, it was the day she was too lazy to find pants. Still, could have been worse. At least she had a bra on, with her phone tucked in it.

Her phone. The phone with fan art of Leia Organa and flamethrower’s Darth Venge. She'd have to delete those as soon as she could. 

Kix carried on despite Nile’s internal fussing. “I'm the CMO here, do you mind if I look you over?”

She didn't answer that, just hopped up on an examination table and let the blanket pool in her lap, pulling her phone from her bra and tucking it under her thigh. She nearly sighed in relief when Kix pulled out something that looked like a stethoscope. 

Partway through the checkup, she accidentally bumped Kix and whispered, “Sorry.”

“There's her voice,” Kenobi said. “Have back enough to tell us your name?”

“Nile.” She braced for the typical comments- “That's a river”, “But you're white”, “What's your real name”- but Kenobi just accepted it.

“Nile, then. Kix, how is she?”

“Physically? Slightly dehydrated, heart rate is faster than normal, and I'm pretty sure the visor she wearing is to correct her vision.” Kix flicked her glasses, and she scowled. “She also obviously suffers panic attacks frequently enough she knows what to expect after them and took the time to learn hand signals for communication purposes. Probably uses that little datapad, too. Anything else?” He deferred to Nile.

She built the sentence in her head before saying it aloud. “Serotonin deficiency and a family history of genetic disorders.”

“I'll run a blood analysis,” Kix said.

“After that, we'll have to figure out what to do with you,” Kenobi murmured.

“Do with me?”

Kenobi looked at her with open curiosity. “Lady Nile, you don't exist in the Force.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to my website source, Shev’la means "silent".


	3. Acclimatization (Lexi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lexi deals with being something of an empath, and sells out because wtf is self control?

“Item 1 on what not to do to a Jedi…” Lexi muttered as she found herself dumped on a Mid-rim planet with almost no credits. She wandered around, marvelling at all the speeders she saw. She made her way to a bar and sat down.

Besides the few hundred credits, the Jedi had been kind enough to provide her an electronic translator, so she could at least understand and communicate in Basic. She ordered a drink and continued her muttering. “Exist, apparently.” Lexi tasted it and had to fight off a gag as she tasted just how bitter the blue fluid was. She had ordered a shot of this? 

Someone in a dark cloak sat down across from her, and she glared at them. “Can I help you?” she asked in an annoyed tone. 

“Of course, if you're willing to help me in return.” The hooded figure said in a deep, refined voice. 

“Wait a minute… I know your voice. Darth Tyrannus?” Lexi asked quietly. 

“A little birdie tells me you know things you shouldn't, and you yourself just confirmed that. The Separatist Alliance could make good use of you.” He said. 

Lexi grinned. “I'm expensive, but you're a wealthy man, aren't you Count?”

“Indeed. Name your price.” He said, his deep voice washing over Lexi and making her close her eyes happily.

“2.3.” Lexi said simply, and then added, “Million.”

“Of course, provided the information you give us is accurate…” Dooku said.

“Oh it will be. Also, may want to avoid giving Greivous command of anything.” Lexi said, starting to stand up before having a pair of B2 Battledroids point their wrist blasters at her.

“Greivous?” Dooku asked in a sinister tone. “What do you know of him?”

“Only that he's pretty much a sack of organs and pride inside a droid body. Oh, and you're training him with lightsabers.” Lexi said plainly, leaning back with a smirk.

“So your information is correct. I do look forward to our partnership.” 

“Also, give me rank in the CIS equivalent to one of your tactical droids.”

Dooku looked annoyed. “You seem to think highly of your tactical skills.”

Lexi’s smirk turned into a neutral deadpan. “Unless you have another advisor with such very intimate knowledge that the Jedi can't read.”

“Very well. Welcome to the Confederacy, Commander…”

“Lexi Yeates.”

Dooku was aggravated as he walked away, the Super Battle Droids flanking Lexi and helping her up from her chair. She strode ahead of them, and boarded her transport. She stared at Dooku’s solar sailer taking off out the viewport, and rocked unsteadily as its inertial dampeners kicked in to compensate for the sudden rapid motion.

It was an hour long flight before Lexi strode onto the main hangar of a Providence-class carrier. She was handed a datapad, which seemed to already be linked to the translator she was wearing, rapidly converting the Aurebesh into the romanized alphabet. 

“I'm sorry, I have personal command over this ship?!” Lexi asked in a panic. 

“Roger Roger.” The OOM-series command droid next to her said. 

Lexi sighed, and quickly started tapping on the datapad. “Excellent.” She said under her breath as she strode towards the elevator. “What's your designation?” She asked the droid.

“OOM-270.”

“You're going to respond to just two-seven-oh, Understand?” She said.

“Roger Roger.”

“Now, guide me to the main bridge, I intend to assume my chair.”

The first order of business was to jump to Hypori and get outfitted. The ship was fairly standard, intended more for ship-to-ship combat than planetary assault. The biggest difference being, most didn't have a name painted across their prow, and certainly not in Aurebesh AND Romanized alphabet.

Lexi sighed happily as she stared at her ship from the shipyard station that had been her home for the past three days. She sighed, as she looked down her at her now modified Earth smartphone. It was displaying an e-mail interface of sorts, and she replied to one sitting in her messages.

Private Communique, CMDR Ensley to CIS Command, Intercepted:  
NEGATIVE, CEASE ALL OPERATIONS FOR DARK REAPER PROJECT. CIS MARIYA IS NOT PREPARED, REPEAT NOT PREPARED FOR SUPPORT OPERATIONS THAT WILL RESULT IN WASTED RESOURCES. WILL INSTEAD MOVE TO GEONOSIS SYSTEM, ENGAGE ENEMY TRANSPORTS.

Lexi hated hyperspace travel. It gave her a headache and made her stomach upset, but all that was more than worth FTL flight she supposed. She pondered all this as she stood on the lower bridge of her cruiser, the Mariya. The whole ship lurched somewhat as it dropped into the sublight speed and came face to face with a Geonosian Star Dreadnought. 

A hologram flared to life in front of her, and she was face to face with Poggle the Lesser, disgusting insect he was. He started speaking the clacks and trills of the Geonosian language, and Lexi simply watched her phone-turned-datapad for the translation.

“I appreciate your concerns about my wasting my time, Poggle, but I am here simply to interdict Republic traffic, not to stand between you and the defense of your homeworld.”

Lexi was greeted by angry trilling, and she blinked as Poggle’s speech hurt her ears. 

“Your starfleet is stretched thinly enough, comrade. I urge you to pull back this massive vessel so you can better defend the droid foundries. It’s bad enough you have to rebuild them, I would hate to see Lord Tyrannus’s reaction to you failing to defend them for a second time.”

With that urging, the hologram shut down and the dreadnought jumped to hyperspace to return to the planet’s sphere of influence. 

“Move all Vulture and Hyena droids into the central hanger, then seal the pressure doors.” Lexi commanded, and she swore she could hear as the flocks of fighter and bombers on the hull of her ship flocked into orderly patterns to be stored inside of the hanger.

“Seal off the upper bridge, and shut down all elevator access to it.” Many shutters slammed shut with resounding bangs. Lexi smirked as she stood up from her chair. “Shields on full aft.” a whole host of droids populated her bridge, and a display started flashing red.

“Sir, two hyperspace signatures detected.” The emissions observation droid reported. 

True to the report, 2 Acclamator-class assault ships dropped out of hyperspace behind the Mariya. 

“Full reverse, put us between them, and have all Hyenas begin assault on the engines of the starboard side ship!”

About 100 dual headed droids leaped from the hull and rearranged their legs into flight configuration, zooming toward the rapidly approaching pair of assault ships. Their turbolasers tried to fire at the small craft, but were too fast for the turrets to track. They released their payload of photon torpedoes and concussion missiles at the massive engine pylons that stuck out from the rear of the Republic vessel. Their distinctive blue glow rapidly flickered and cut out, ceasing its advance towards the Mariya. 

“Have all Vultures assigned to keeping all Republic fighters and bombers off of us! Open up the hangar and get those Hyenas reloaded!” Lexi shouted. The Port side ship had come side to side with her ship, and needed it gone. “Shields, Half Port! All batteries, fire on that damn ship’s wing, between the engines!” Lexi almost fell as her ship rocked. 

“Sir, the fighter liaison tower has separated!” Lexi strapped herself into her command seat. “Good! We’ll have the hole patched later, maintain fire! As soon as the Hyenas are re-armed, have them focus on the fin of the Starboard side ship!” A massive and bright explosion tore through the vacuum to her left side. The bright yellow flame only existed for an instant before it blew shattered chunks of durasteel in a massive radius around the now ruptured core of the Port side ship, and its turbolasers fell silent. Lexi stared at the red hot metal it left behind, and closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the thought of how many lives she just erased. “C-close the bridge viewport shutters, and maneuver us to fire on the other ship. Shields at 270’s discretion.” The ship turned to fire, but the other Acclamator was already detonating. 

“Sir, all hostile ships eliminated.” 270 reported.

“Good. Jump us back to Hypori once all remaining Hyenas are aboard.” Lexi said, the sadness very audible as she sobbed.


End file.
